~ For people who are passionate about respecting the earth, walking in nature, observing wildlife, local diet, making do, repurposing, organic gardening, foraging for wild plants and fungi, natural health, scrumptious healthy cooking, renovations, DIY, crafting, raising children simply and mindfully, their dogs, taking time for stillness, and living in harmony with the seasons.

These “twice-baked” fragrant little bites are perfect with coffee or tea. If you’ve never eaten or baked anything with lavender before, try using only half the amount for the first time, and remember to use organic lavender as non-organic will probably have been sprayed with chemicals.

Almond Lavender Biscotti

1-¼ cup whole unblanched almonds

1-½ cups all-purpose flour

1-½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup lavender sugar or natural sweetener of your choice

1-½ teaspoon organic lavender (flowers)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon vanilla

In a food processor, finely grind 1/3 cup of almonds with ½ cup of the flour (or use your left over ground almonds from making almond milk). Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining 1 cup of flour, the baking powder and salt. Set aside. Coarsely chop the almonds.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease a baking sheet (or place parchment paper over baking sheet). In a mortar and pestle hand-grind the lavender flowers (or use a food processor).

In a large bowl with electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and lavender until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and almond extract. Stir in the nuts and flour mixture to make a soft dough.

Shape dough into 1 large rectangular log (or 2 smaller logs) on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce oven heat to 250 degrees (F). Allow log(s) to cool for 10 minutes, then, using a very sharp knife, slice the logs diagonally into ½-inch slices. Place slices on a wire cooling rack and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy with coffee or tea.

Summer is very nearly over… yet it’s not quite autumn. It’s that ‘in between’ time, where the bright cheerful colors of summer wildflowers are now fading, the tall grasses are beginning to turn brown, and the rich yellows, oranges and reds of autumn have yet to appear.

‘In between’ seasons are often under-appreciated and overlooked. For those who dislike winter, the end of summer can be a depressing time with everything turning brown and no bright colors to catch our attention or heady floral fragrances to arouse our senses. Because of this, it might very easy to miss the unique beauty and wonder of this particular in-between season. Today, I invite you to take a closer look at the natural world around where you live. You may be surprised to discover that there is still so much going on right under your nose (and feet)…

The ‘fur’ on these hardworking bees collecting pollen on the summer’s last remaining flowers makes me want to pet them.

Once bright purple, these wildflowers (above) now have faded and their petals are starting to fall off. Looking closer, however, one can see the seeds forming in the centers, adding a new beauty and texture…

The first signs of ‘autumn yellow’ starting to appear on the leaves…I love the shape and texture of this wood fungus growing on my mulch pile. It has taken a few months to grow this large…

These shots of moss, lichen and fungi make me feel like I am living on another planet…(!!!)

Taking a closer look at nature when things appear to be slowing down, one can clearly see that there is still so many fascinating things going on around us. Why not spend a few moments today taking a closer look at the natural world around you? I am sure you will find that there is a whole world of beauty and wonder just waiting to be discovered.

Do you remember when in one of my earlier posts I showed this picture of a flower that I did not know the name of? I am happy to report that the mystery of the beautiful thick patch of trumpet-like yellow flowers growing near the Medicine Wheel garden is now solved! It was actually, M, one of the kids who built that amazing 2-story fort, who taught me what it was. He and his family were out back with me, taking a tour of the grounds, when M discovered the patch and demonstrated a seed pod exploding with a sudden pop! “They are called Touch Me Nots”, he explained, and I was very impressed. (I was also thinking about how just a few nights before at their bonfire, he had demonstrated a cap exploding off of a twisted plastic pop bottle!) The very next day, K (the son of the couple who built this cabin) told me the same thing. He was out working on his land and I went over with some fresh muffins. He told me that he had figured out my mystery flower. We walked over to his car where he pulled out his guidebook on medicinal flowers of Alberta and showed me the unmistakable picture of Touch Me Not (Impatiens pallida), also known as Jewelweed, Yellow Jewelweed and Spotted Jewelweed.

Touch Me Not is a self-seeding annual plant, which can grow up to six and a half feet tall. (Mine are about four feet tall.) It often grows in ditches and along creeks. The triangular leaves have toothed margins and are silvery green in color. The flowers are yellow with a three-lobed corolla; one of the calyx lobes is also yellow and forms a hooked conical spur at the back of the flower, forming the back of the trumpet (or funnel) shape. The seed pods have projectile seeds that explode out of the pods if they are lightly touched when ripe. See this youtube video for a demonstration.

You may be more familiar with Orange Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) which is more common. Often these two will be found growing side by side.

The flavor of dandelion flowers is very subtle, which makes adding it to your current recipes very easy as they do not interfere with other flavors. The flowers add cheerful specks of yellow and you benefit from their nutritional value. Here, I added dandelion flowers to my favorite cornmeal pancake recipe. A perfect part of a hearty country breakfast.

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup dandelion flowers (the yellow part)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1-1/2 cup milk

Put the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil, eggs, dandelion flowers and milk. Beat well/ Let sit for a few minutes. Then cook on a hot griddle.

While we are on the subject of drying herbs for teas, I wanted to fill you in on a few other herbs that I had already dried before I started this blog three weeks ago. I will start with the earliest: wild rose petals, which I harvested back in late June and early July. I will cover the other herbs in separate posts in the next little while.

There are more than a hundred species of rose that are native to the northern hemisphere. The wild rose (Rose acicularis), also known as the nootka rose and prickly rose, prefers rich, moist soil and sunny locations. This beautiful shrub has been chosen as Alberta’s floral emblem. Incidentally, ‘Rose’ is also my middle name. (I was named after my grandmother Rose Delna Nabess, a Cree woman who married a French trapper in northern Manitoba.)

You can use the roots, leaves, flowers and fruits of Rose acicularis. In this post, we will focus on the petals. Harvest the petals gently to prevent bruising and only pick from plants that have not been sprayed or contaminated.

When harvesting rose petals do not over-pick from one bush. When taking the flowers, leave one petal behind to ensure that the flower is pollinated, which will let a hip develop.

~Beverly Gray

Medicinal Uses:

According to Beverly Gray, wild rose petals can be made into a poultice and applied to cuts, scrapes and fresh bug bites. The petals take the heat out of the wound and reduce inflammation. She also recommends a cooled petal infusion to sooth irritated eyes (be sure to finely strain the liquid first).

Rose oil is used in aromatherapy as a tonic for the womb and sexual organs, and to tone the circulatory and digestive systems. It has sedative, antidepressant, and, of course, aphrodisiac effects.

Cosmetic Uses:

Rose oil and rose water are soothing, exquisitely scented astringents and emollients, and are widely used in skin-care products as they are very soothing to the skin. They also have a humectant effect, which helps the skin retain moisture. Aroma Borealis makes a rose-petal face cream that has been quoted in an Ottawa newspaper as the “the champagne of creams”. I have just ordered some and I will do a ‘product review’ in a later post. (It cost $14.95 for 30 mL.)

You can make a rose petal facial tonic at home by adding the petals to vodka or apple cider vinegar. Try adding rose petals to your facial steam baths. The petals can also be infused in oil and used as a base for massage and body oils, creams, and other bath products. The petals are also used in potpourris and perfumes.

Culinary uses:

Rose petals are used to flavor tea, vinegars and sugar, are made into jelly, and crystallized. Middle Eastern cuisine is especially fond of rose-flavored desserts and treats, such as Turkish delight, and rose buds are an ingredient of the spice mix known as ras el hanout.

~Deni Brown

The scented flowers of the wild rose, fresh or dried, make a fragrant and delicious tea. Half a cup of petals is needed for 1 cup of tea.

Flowers can be added to jams, jellies and salads. The fresh petals are often see on top of wedding cakes. The late Lois Hole (1933-2005), in her book Herbs and Edible Flowers, has a flower petal butter recipe and a recipe for gingered rose custard. I like adding the delicate petals to my melt-in-your-mouth shortbread recipe and freezing the petals in ice cubes to add color and a subtle flavor to water or other clear drinks.

Did you know that it takes a thousand roses to produce 1 pint of rosewater? It takes 5000 pounds of fresh petals to make 1 pound of oil.

I will leave you with a funny quote by Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) that I read today in the Boreal Herbal:

I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.

Rather than blurt out that there were weeds in my dinner, I silently ate my salad, nodding vigorously when asked if my silage was satisfying.

“Why yes, I like nothing better than a deep bowl of lawn clippings at the end of a long day!”

I have always been interested in wild plants. As a child, I would gather wild flowers and press them into a scrapbook (pictured below). In my later years, I would photograph wild flowers while on nature hikes with the intention of identifying them later and learning their names and uses. But once I returned home to the city, the pace of life was just too busy and as always, my study of wild plants fell to the wayside.

Moving out here to Pigeon Lake ten months ago, I knew that the time was ripe to begin my natural studies on wild plants. I just never thought it would be the common dandelion that I would fall in love with first.

Yes, you heard me: the dandelion! We don’t even think of dandelions as wild plants as they are everywhere; in every corner of our concrete cities as well as all over the the countryside. In my mind, wild plants were respected, sacred and noble plants with ancient and esoteric medicinal properties. To my uneducated mind, the dandelion was just a common weed (we can’t even say the word ‘weed’ without sneering) that everyone hated and were at constant war with, using all manner of cruel chemicals and sharp objects to remove these persistent pests from their yards and gardens.

But I am finding out that the dandelion is noble. According to some herbalists, the dandelion is royalty in the herb world, earning its high respect from the fact that every part of this plant is not only edible and yummy, but is in fact very good for our health.

The yellow flower petals can be gently pulled off and steeped in boiling water to make a nutritious dandelion tea or an intoxicatingly delicious dandelion wine. The flowers contain vitamins A and B12 (riboflavin) as well as a compound called helenin, which helps those with night blindness.

The leaves can be eaten fresh in salads (it tastes bitter, like arugula; balance this with a sweet dressing if you do not like bitter) or cooked and added to stir fries, soups and casseroles. You can juice the leaves, freeze the juice in ice cube trays (storing the cubes in ziplock freezer bags) and add to green smoothies all year round. Or you can make large batches of dandelion tea with flowers and leaves, allowing the mixture to boil down and become very concentrated. Strain then freeze the tea in ice cubes. Later, thaw a cube and add to a mug of hot water for dandelion tea in winter. The leaves contain bitter glycosides, carotenoids, terpenoids, choline, potassium salts, iron and other minerals, vitamins A, B, C and D. The leaves act as a detoxifying agent and therefore often used during cleanses. It is also used as a diuretic or to treat high blood pressure. The leaves are very good for the liver and gallbladder, and stimulates the production of bile.

The mighty dandelion root can be dried or roasted. It also can be added to stir fries, soups and casseroles. Many people grind up roasted dandelion root, adding it to hot water, and drinking it instead of coffee. It is supposed to be delicious and I am looking forward to harvesting some large dandelion roots soon and making my own. Dandelion root contains bitter glycosides, tannins, triterpenes, sterols, volatile oil, choline, asparagin and inulin. The root is used to treat infections, constipation, arthritis, gout, and skin problems, such as acne, eczema and psoriasis.

Did you know that here in Canada, there are annual dandelion festivals? So far I have found Dandelion Festivals in Halifax (NS), Kemptville (ON) and Ottawa (ON). People come from far and wide to celebrate the dandelion and bring their recipes and sample each others’ dandelion culinary creations. For example, you might sample some dandelion sausages, dandelion wines, different blends of dandelion teas, dandelion cakes, breads and pastries… Well, you get the idea.

There is so much more that I am learning about the medicinal properties of dandelions (including in the prevention and fighting of cancer). I will write an in depth article very soon once I complete my research and post it here along with my resources for those of you that are interested. I am also putting together a little dandelion cookbook complete with nutritional information, medicinal properties, recipes and lots of beautiful photographs celebrating the beauty of the dandelion. I think I may also try to attend one of the dandelion festivals, perhaps next year. In the meantime, I simply wanted to try to win you over to the wild side and invite you to change your perspective on this lovely and noble little plant growing in your backyard.

Public opinion on dandelions have been slowly changing. CBC did a piece on dandelions, and there is a hilarious and highly informative article in the National Post (quoted above).

Not convinced? Why not try using some dandelion in a few of your own recipes? Remember to harvest the plants where there has not been any harmful chemical spraying (difficult in the city, I know!). You can also go to your local health food store and buy dried leaves or root. I recently bought this package of dandelion root from Earth’s Aromatique (located in Edmonton, AB) to experiment with while I prepared and dried my own.

Last week, I made a batch of dandelion pancakes that were a hit with H. With the flower heads that I harvested this morning, I made Dandelion cupcakes. This was originally a recipe for white cupcakes that I adapted. Not too healthy, I admit, but a treat! By the way, this cake would be perfect at a child’s birthday party with a garden theme. You know the one I am talking about. The ‘dirt’ birthday cake topped with oreo cookie crumbs, cookie fence, marzipan vegetables and gummy worms hidden inside the cake layers.

Dandelion Cupcakes

2-1/4 cups unbleached white flour

1-2/3 cups sugar (or natural sweetener of your choice)

1 cup dandelion flowers (just the yellow part)

3-1/2 teaspoons baking power

1 teaspoon salt

1/1/4 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 egg whites

Heat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease and flour a rectangular pan, 2 round pans or line a cupcake tin with paper baking cups. Beat all of the ingredients, except the egg whites in a large mixing bowl on low speed for about a minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with spatula to make sure that all of the ingredients get incorporated. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating on high speed, again scraping the bowl. Pour mixture into pan.

Bake rectangular pan for 4—45 minutes (9-inch rounds or cupcakes for 30-35 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely. Frost the cake with a creamy butter icing if desired. Garnish with a single dandelion flower or frosting and yellow sprinkles.